Finally, renderings have been released for the redevelopment of Elphinstone Mills, Mumbai (Bombay) by developers Indiabulls Real Estate.

One of the first projects announced in a series of redevelopments of former textile mill lands in South Mumbai, the tower will be Mumbai's first purely commercial skyscraper to break ground -- all other skyscrapers being purely residential or mixed residential/hotel. Not only does it herald the next phase of high-quality but infrastructure-intensive commercial skyscraper development in Mumbai, but it is also an indication of what the redevelopment of the massive mill lands and slums in the next 5 years will mean for Mumbai and her booming skyline.

Initially reported to only be 40 stories tall, the height has since been increased to 60 stories. Designed by Chicago based firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, is the latest in environmentally friendly signature towers planned for Mumbai.

According to the architect's website:

Quote:

The 60-story Elphinstone Mills complex in downtown Mumbai includes Class A office space and a pedestrian friendly retail podium. The building is designed to a LEED Platinum standard and will create a new icon in the skyline of Mumbai.

Every floor of the office tower features outdoor terraces and multi-story garden atria, fully integrating the interior workspace with natural elements of the exterior environment. These garden spaces provide tenants with a shaded area for relaxation and socialization; natural light is abundant, while the overhangs simultaneously shade the units below. The building is also oriented to minimize solar gain, decreasing the heating effect of direct sunlight and increasing comfort levels for building tenants.

Each atrium space is connected to a central atrium within the building’s core. Air flows from the exterior environment into this central space, accelerating as it travels down the atrium toward a series of wind turbines, which generate power for the building.

One of the major hurdles facing the construction of major commercial towers in Mumbai, that of uninterrupted power, has been solved with on-site generation and a design that minimizes power consumption and loss. Going totally green may be the way for major skyscraper projects to go in Mumbai, which is yet another boon for the city. The second major hurdle, that of infrastructure, is to be remedied by having the developer offset the cost of infrastructure development adjacent to the site, a requirement of mill land redevelopment. The development of the Mumbai metro and other mass transit projects that will service the mill land region will also contribute to sustainability.

According to Indiabulls, construction of the tower has already started from March 2007, with a completion date of Sept, 2008, but SSC India members cannot independently verify if it has, due to the inaccessible nature of the site. However, it's worth noting that construction Indiabulls's commercial development at its related project at nearby Jupiter Mills is well underway:

^ Jupiter Mills

Note in the above image all the towers coming up at other mill lands. And these are just the very beginning of the huge mill land redevelopments in store for India's financial capital

Props to spyguy for originally finding and posting the renderings at SSC India

This tower plus the Park Hyatt and a few others show that Mumbai is finally going to produce some quality skyscrapers. The only unfortunate part is that it usually takes a foreign architect to create such buildings.

Residents of the Elphinstone Road-Lower Parel area say they are paying for the re-development of mill lands in their area with their health. The hectic construction activity at Elphinstone and Jupiter mills, where huge commercial complexes are coming up, and the NTC mill land, which will turn into an entertainment centre, is generating a lot of dust leading to people complaining of cough, asthma-related problems and burning eyes.

Since construction began a year ago, doctors have reported a sharp increase in lung ailments.

...

Munaf Thakur, member of Elphinstone Road Rahiwasi Seva Sangh, an association of local residents, says, “Over 500 trucks bring construction material and a similar number take away debris from here. Spillage from the trucks remain on the road and dust is blown into homes by the movement of passing vehicles.”

Madhukar Tawade, another member of the Sangh, says, “Much of the dust is generated by the stone crushers and concrete mixers. The sites are not properly enclosed.”

...

“There is construction activity going on and it (dust problem) is not a usual situation. There will be some inconvenience. We have put up 30-feet high metal barricades around the site. We plan to raise the height by another 10 feet. However, we are ready to talk to residents if there is still a problem."

Seriously, I have no idea why this thread only has 7 posts. This thread should be at least 2 pages long. Amazing design, great tower, great location. One of the best towers going up anywhere in the world. In the top 50 for me for sure.

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I love the design as well, though I do wonder: What is it with proposed or u/c buildings in Mumbai and terraces? (I'm also referring to the 'skyscraper-mansion' proposal for some business tycoon, I'm not sure whether it's currently being built or not).

Is it due to a cultural aspect or is it simply, as the first article implies, the convenience of having LEED features such as these in the buildings of the city?

The balconies are a new design trend in Mumbai towers. It's taken off due to cultural affinity for terraced garden architecture that's a hallmark of traditional Indian architectural styles, and is also an expression of the ancient building code of Vaastu Shastra.

Here's another rendering of Elphinstone Mills Tower (right), with its neighbor Jupiter Mills tower (left), which is scheduled to begin construction later this year: